diff --git a/MANIFEST b/MANIFEST
index a2c179626b5d..b0593d929392 100644
--- a/MANIFEST
+++ b/MANIFEST
@@ -2558,6 +2558,7 @@ lib/parent/t/parent.t	tests for parent.pm
 lib/perl5db.pl			Perl debugging routines
 lib/perl5db.t			Tests for the Perl debugger
 lib/perl5db/t/eval-line-bug	Tests for the Perl debugger
+lib/perl5db/t/lvalue-bug	Tests for the Perl debugger
 lib/PerlIO.pm			PerlIO support module
 lib/PerlIO/via/QuotedPrint.pm	PerlIO::via::QuotedPrint
 lib/PerlIO/via/t/QuotedPrint.t	PerlIO::via::QuotedPrint
diff --git a/lib/perl5db.t b/lib/perl5db.t
index 2cf7958d3396..22a8271c5e7b 100644
--- a/lib/perl5db.t
+++ b/lib/perl5db.t
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ my $dev_tty = '/dev/tty';
     }
 }
 
-plan(1);
+plan(2);
 
 sub rc {
     open RC, ">", ".perldb" or die $!;
@@ -76,6 +76,13 @@ like($contents, qr/sub factorial/,
     'The ${main::_<filename} variable in the debugger was not destroyed'
 );
 
+TODO: {
+    local $ENV{PERLDB_OPTS} = "ReadLine=0";
+    local $::TODO = "lvalueness isn't propagated in the debugger";
+    my $output = runperl(switches => [ '-d' ], progfile => '../lib/perl5db/t/lvalue-bug');
+    like($output, qr/foo is defined/, 'lvalue subs work in the debugger');
+}
+
 # clean up.
 
 END {
diff --git a/lib/perl5db/t/lvalue-bug b/lib/perl5db/t/lvalue-bug
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..14d2fbbfb008
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/perl5db/t/lvalue-bug
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/usr/bin/perl
+#
+# This code is used by lib/perl5db.t !!!
+#
+
+my $i;
+sub foo () : lvalue { $i }
+foo = 1;
+print defined foo ? "foo is defined" : "foo is still undef", "\n";